If I voted in NYC and not in Syracuse, Bill de Blasio would be getting my vote for mayor. This article in the NYT explains why. It explains that the surge he’s now enjoying in the polls has to do with his early and principled opposition to stop-and-frisk. And it also explains that “the people want social justice.” People are pushing back against the high cost of living in the City, and against massive economic-social inequities after 12 years under the calm and calming management of billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The NYT’s editorial in support of Christine Quinn was lame, the argument being that she was more moderate and could work the New York State system in Albany better than the more progressive di Blasio. Maybe di Blasio’s signature projects might just crash and burn in the State Legislature. But what’s killing Quinn at the polls is the fact that she’s so identified with the system and that she’s either is or is being perceived as Bloomberg’s preferred candidate to succeed him. People seem to like him and his family, and that’s also something, and counts for something. For a change, I would like to bet against the big money in politics, see where it goes, hope and work and vote for the best public interest.

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About zjb

Zachary Braiterman teaches modern Jewish thought and philosophy in the Department of Religion at Syracuse University. He works in religion, continental philosophy, theoretical aesthetics, and visual culture.